Inquiries

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent to date on lawyers and legal firms employed by the  (a) Hamill,  (b) Wright and  (c) Nelson inquiries.

Shaun Woodward: The following amounts have been spent by the Inquiries to the end of January 2009 on lawyers and legal firms:
	 (a) The Robert Hamill Inquiry—£8.74 million;
	 (b) The Billy Wright Inquiry—£4.87 million;
	 (c) The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry—£13.05 million.

Genetically Modified Crops

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what area of genetically-modified crops was cultivated in the UK in 2008.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In England GM crops were grown in trials last year on no more than two hectares of land, and it has been reported that a limited area of an EU-approved GM maize was grown commercially in Wales.

Marine Environment

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to protect the marine environment.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government are taking forward a number of measures aimed at achieving our vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. The Marine and Coastal Access Bill currently before the House of Lords will improve the way in which we sustainably manage our marine environment. The Government are also committed to work to achieve Good Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and action towards sustainable fisheries management.

Pitt Report

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the recommendations in Sir Michael Pitt's report Learning lessons from the 2007 floods have been implemented.

Hilary Benn: I last met Sir Michael Pitt to discuss the response in November. My officials and I will continue to consult him on progress in implementing his recommendations.
	The Government's response to the Pitt Review set out what had been implemented before December 2008 and the further steps required to implement its recommendations in the future. The Government will report further on implementation every six months, beginning in June 2009.